Google’s privacy policy, effective October 16, 2026, now has an exception: services such as Search may use data from Gmail, Drive and Google Photos to personalize content, including ads, but only when a user connects those apps. People who don’t connect them are still covered by the 2021 pledge. Advertisers get no access to any of it.
What exactly changed in the policy?
Since July 1, 2021, Google has said it doesn’t show personalized ads based on content from Drive, Gmail or Google Photos. That sentence is still in the policy, now with a condition: it applies unless you choose to make that data available to other Google services that support personalized ads.
The policy also gives a direct example. Search may process some of the data you allow it to access to personalize content, including ads. According to PPC Land’s analysis, the list of signals behind ad personalization now includes “personalized content from Google services,” next to interests and activity.
Who is affected?
The affected group is users who connect Gmail, Drive, Photos or Calendar to Search or Gemini through Personal Intelligence, which is opt-in. PPC Land reports that connecting requires being 18 or older with a personal Google Account, and that Google Photos isn’t available in every region.
One connection covers the Search services: Search (including AI Mode and Discover), Maps and Shopping. Google says ads aren’t based directly on your inbox or photo library, but they may draw on summaries, excerpts and inferences taken from that material.
What stayed the same?
Two protections remain, according to the policy and PPC Land:
- personalized ads don’t use sensitive categories such as race, religion, sexual orientation or health;
- Google doesn’t pass advertisers information that personally identifies you.
For advertisers there is also no new targeting option and no new report tied to this data. The effect is indirect: Google has more signals to decide who sees an ad, and you can’t choose or see which ones.
What should a small advertiser do?
In our view, nothing in the ad account changes today. Three habits make sense:
- Don’t claim what you don’t control. Don’t tell customers or clients that Google “reads email to target ads.” The policy says use depends on a connection the user makes.
- Invest in your own data. A customer list collected with consent, an email signup and well-measured conversions remain the part you control. See how that plays out in the account in Google Ads’ new customer value multiplier.
- Work on ad quality. With more signals in play, the auction tends to reward relevance. Our guide to how Quality Score works shows what you can adjust.
On budget, the basic rule is the same: check your margin before raising spend. What Is ROAS has the math.
How do you limit use of your own data?
If you use Google and don’t want Gmail or Photos data feeding personalization, Techlicious describes this path, which may vary by account and screen language:
- In your Google Account, open the Search services personalization page.
- Under Personal Intelligence, go to connected content apps and disconnect Google Workspace and Google Photos.
- Turn off personalized recommendations on the same page.
- Use My Ad Center to turn off personalized ads.
One limit matters: disconnecting an app doesn’t erase what Search already holds. PPC Land says that history can still be used for product improvement and AI training. To delete it, you need to review your Search services history in your account. As Google advises, avoid connecting apps that contain personal or confidential information.
What is still unknown?
Google hasn’t explained how summaries and inferences weigh in when an ad is chosen. It’s also unclear whether advertisers will get any specific control later. PPC Land also notes that the policy doesn’t describe a separate consent for ad use: connecting the apps is its own setting.
There is useful context. In March 2026, Google said AI Mode with Personal Intelligence would carry no ads; around October 16 it confirmed it is testing ads in AI Mode for those users, according to PPC Land. If that becomes standard, ads inside AI answers will matter to anyone running paid media, a topic we covered in ChatGPT ads and new formats.
Is it worth changing your strategy now?
No. We would wait for a few months of data from your own account before touching campaign structure. A policy update is not a new feature for advertisers. What’s worth doing is noting the change, watching your performance reports and checking Google’s updated policy text, which is the official source and can be revised again.
